Contra Costa NOW

NOW Partnering With One Fair Wage

We are excited to announce that NOW is partnering with One Fair Wage in their work to better wages and working conditions in the service industry because worker’s rights are always a feminist issue. One Fair Wage is a coalition which includes all workers for whom tips are considered wage replacement and they conduct …

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Contra Costa NOW 2022 Scholarship Winners

CONTRA COSTA NOW AWARDS SECOND ANNUAL SCHOLARSHIPS FOR ACCOMPLISHED WOMEN OF COLOR Contra Costa NOW is pleased to announce the winners of their second annual university scholarships. The scholarships, for $1000 each, were earmarked for two women of color based on their academic and social-activism accomplishments. Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous NOW member …

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We’d Like to Hear From You

Comments on articles or other site content may be emailed to us at cococonow@gmail.com

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Working to ensure our daughters inherit a more equal society!

NOW advocates for a wide range of economic justice issues affecting women, from the glass ceiling to the sticky floor of poverty. These include welfare reform, livable wages, job discrimination, pay equity, housing, social security and pension reform, and much more. We strongly support the passage of CEDAW

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Promoting reproductive, environmental and social justice!

NOW affirms that reproductive rights are issues of life and death for women, not mere matters of choice. NOW fully supports access to safe and legal abortion, to effective birth control and emergency contraception, to reproductive health services and education for all women. We oppose attempts to restrict these rights through legislation, regulation or Constitutional …

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Speaking out about the violence against women

NOW is unique in its approach to the issue of violence against women, emphasizing that there are many interrelated aspects to the issue – domestic violence; sexual assault; sexual harassment; violence at abortion clinics; hate crimes across lines of gender, sexuality and race; the gender bias in our judicial system that further victimizes survivors of …

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Join our local NOW chapter and help us improve the lives of California’s 19 million women and girls! Click on the Join NOW tab above.

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NOW Partnering With One Fair Wage Contra Costa NOW 2022 Scholarship Winners We’d Like to Hear From You Working to ensure our daughters inherit a more equal society!Promoting reproductive, environmental and social justice!Speaking out about the violence against women Join our local NOW chapter and help us improve the lives of California’s 19 million women and girls! Click on the Join NOW tab above.

NOW Hear This

NOW Hear This: March 24, 2023 Newsletter

Message from National NOW President Christian F. Nunes

Happy Friday Feminists,

Next week, Congress will reintroduce the Women’s Health Protection Act.

We are quickly approaching a year since women’s reproductive rights were decimated by the Supreme Court, so this measure is an important step to put us back on the right direction. But this also comes at a pivotal time with so many states picking up where SCOTUS left off, pushing extremely dangerous policies that completely disregard protecting women’s health.

We have reached such a tipping point that some places will no longer offer childbirth services because too many OBGYNs can’t navigate the overwhelming labyrinth of restrictions that so many of these bans impose on medical providers.

“Every American deserves the freedom to make their own health care decisions without interference from politicians…,” said Senator Tammy Baldwin. “The Women’s Health Protection Act is a necessary step to restore Americans’ constitutional right to choose what’s best for their families and allow doctors to do the job they are trained to do – all free from medically unnecessary restrictions.”

Laws are meant to protect American citizens, yet there are too many ill-conceived, repugnant laws that put more than half of the population in danger. The WHPA is vital to ensuring that these state and national leaders can’t get away with these outrageous attacks on our bodily autonomy.

In solidarity,

Christian

NOW Partnering With One Fair Wage

One Fair Wage is a coalition which includes all workers for whom tips are considered wage replacement and they conduct policy advocacy, voter engagement, worker and employer organizing, and culture shift activities to ultimately lift millions of tipped workers out of poverty nationwide and engage them in the political process that governs their lives. The concept of one fair wage is often associated with the restaurant industry, where many tipped workers are paid a sub-minimum wage and therefore rely on tips as a significant portion of their income. Advocates of one fair wage argue that the sub-minimum wage plus tipping system creates an unfair and unpredictable income for workers.

NOW has been devoted to standing up for women’s rights for years! We are dedicated to encouraging young activists to step up and learn everything they can to keep the needle moving in the right direction. One Fair Wage, led by Saru Jayaraman, has created a summer program called “Freedom Summer 2023” in hopes to mobilize 100 students for 8 weeks. The goal is to help advance racial, economic and women’s’ rights in the state of Ohio. Freedom Summer’s headquarters include: The Ohio State University, Cleveland State University, and University of Cincinnati. This opportunity will allow students to get out in the field, gain experience from those who have dedicated their lives for the fight for equality, and meet like-minded activists who will eventually become lifelong friends.

If you know a young feminist who will benefit from this experience, we urge you to share this flyer.

Medication Abortion Access Threatened by Texas Judge – NOW led the Effort to Bring Medication Abortion to the U.S. – Help Us Fight This

THE ISSUE

In less than two weeks, there could well be no access to one of the safest methods of abortion available, medication abortion, now used in a majority of abortions in the U.S. – and widely used around the world. An anti-abortion organization, Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, filed a lawsuit in November demanding that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) withdraw their approval of medication abortion. The judge has set a briefing deadline for February 24^th.

See link below for full details.

Medication Abortion Access Threatened by Texas Judge – NOW led the Effort to Bring Medication Abortion to the U.S. – Help Us Fight This

Black History Month

February marks the start of Black History Month! And while this month is a chance to celebrate the contributions and accomplishments of Black Americans, it is also a reminder that we must continue in the fight for racial justice.

Contra Costa NOW 2022 Scholarship Winners

CONTRA COSTA NOW AWARDS SECOND ANNUAL SCHOLARSHIPS FOR ACCOMPLISHED WOMEN OF COLOR

Contra Costa NOW is pleased to announce the winners of their second annual university scholarships. The scholarships, for $1000 each, were earmarked for two women of color based on their academic and social-activism accomplishments.

Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous NOW member who provided the funds for a second $1000 scholarship, we were able to offer two scholarships.

FNU Tsamchoe, 37, who was born in India of Tibetan refugee parents, will be attending Contra Costa College in Fall 2022. She is working towards a career in nursing.

Delaney Ruiz, 22, was born in Mexico. She will be attending Samuel Merritt University and is also planning a career in nursing. Both scholarship winners endured the hardship of immigrating to a new country, learning a new language, serving their communities, and pursuing academic careers with great success.

According to Contra Costa NOW´s president, Jeanette Cole, “We are so pleased to be able to award our second annual university scholarships to two such deserving women. We specifically endowed the scholarships for women of color who not only had achieved impressive academic honors, but also demonstrated a strong embrace of social activism for the betterment of their communities. NOW has a long history of supporting young women and marginalized women, and the board of the Contra Costa NOW hopes to continue our efforts to provide financial support for women’s education in the future.”

The chapter´s Scholarship Committee received several excellent applications, and hopes to continue the scholarship initiative.

If you wish to make a donation for our 2023 scholarship fund, please click Donate

Send your check made payable to Contra Costa NOW to: PO Box 4794, Walnut Creek, CA 94596

FNU Tsamchoe

Delaney Ruiz

Update On Our 2021 Scholarship Winners

After selecting the recipients of our 2022 Contra Costa NOW university scholarships, we decided to check back with our first 2 winners of the 2021 scholarships. We are pleased to acknowledge that both continue to succeed in their academic initiatives, contribute positively to their respective communities, and progress notably in the pursuit of their career goals.

Sia´h Fanta Jimissa

Sia´h just finished her second year at UC Berkeley and is currently finishing up her application for the Public Health major. Sia´h´s extracurricular activities include serviing as the K-12 Recruitment Coordinator for the Black Recruitment and Retention Center, a student organization that hosts programs to encourage Black students to pursue and complete college. She was able to create and host programs including a scholarship and a shadow day for Black high school students. This summer, she is participating in the UCSF Children’s Hospital’s Student Summer Research Program, an especially valuable opportunity for a Public Health major.

Thyra Anastashia Cobbs

Thyra is currently double majoring in African American studies and History, and minoring in African studies at UCLA. She is in the Honors program, the Academic Achievement Program (AAP), and the Bruin Scholars program for foster youth/students who have been in guardianship. She has also been accepted for the McNair Research Scholars program and is currently researching the effects of Afrocentric psychological interventions on UCLA’s Black population. Next spring quarter, Thyra will be teaching a student-led seminar on Afrocentric Black Psychology through the Honors Program. She is also engaging in student activism and leadership, having been appointed as the Transfer Coordinator for the African Student Union and will soon be applying to serve as the Campus Director of Mental Health in UCLA’s student government.

Photos for ROE #BansOffOurBodies March at the State Capitol

ROE #BansOffOurBodies March and Rally

Meetup in Martinez & Bus to Sacramento
Action groups from across the East Bay will attend the Bans Off Our Body March & Rally at the California State Capitol Building in Sacramento. Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California (PPAC) has generously agreed to cover the cost of buses for those who would like to ride together (masks required on board).
Waiver forms will be available and required.

Location: Martinez CourtHouse
725 Court St, Martinez, CA 94553

Time: Meetup at 8:30
Buses Leave at 9:30 Sharp

Agenda
8:30 – Gathering at Martinez Courthouse
8:40 – 9:15 Engaging speakers will rally the crowd
9:15 – move to buses or cars to drive to Sacramento
9:30 – Buses leave (no latecomers)
11:00 – March & Rally in Sacramento
3:00 – Buses leave Sacramento returning to Martinez (no latecomers)
4:00 – Buses arrive in Martinez (time is approximate)

More details about speakers to follow –